Would-be pot seller blames Trudeau for woes with gangsters

A tattoo artist and blogger who wanted to open a medical marijuana dispensary in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district is blaming the Trudeau government for what happened next.

Pat Vaillancourt tells La Presse that he needed capital and turned to people he did not realize were mobsters interested only in having a place to launder money.

When he failed to open the dispensary on time, they demanded their money back plus a hefty penalty of tens of thousands of dollars. Vaillancourt says they sent goons to his tattoo shop to smash up the place and intimate his employees, one of whom suffered a minor injury.

Vaillancourt maintains that he would not have fallen prey to the gangsters if the Trudeau Liberals had proceeded more promptly with their promised legalization of marijuana sales and the rules for pot entrepreneurs were clear.